New on the Blog

Inspired Teaching Made Easy: How to Teach with Your Mind AND Your Heart

Do you listen to podcasts? I’ve been listening to them off and on for a few years, but it wasn’t until recently that I became a podcast fanatic. My addiction started last fall when my husband and  

Launch a Super School Year Free Video Course

Getting the school year off to a great start is essential, which means that what you do the first week of school can make all the difference! A few years ago I presented a popular webinar called

Grab Your Free School Year Calendar!

When I was teaching, I searched everywhere to find the perfect calendar for my students, but I just couldn’t find one that worked. I wanted 8 1/2 x 11 monthly portrait-style pages that would fit in a 3-ring binder,  

Daily Math Problem Solving and the Common Core

Daily problem solving is a highly effective way to help your students master the Common Core mathematical practice standards. Fortunately, when you have a plan in place, it can also be the easiest way to motivate your  

Cooperative Learning and Google Classroom – The Best of Both Worlds

Google Classroom makes it sooo easy to go paperless that you might be tempted to skip cooperative learning activities and replace them with digital assignments.

But I hope you don’t. Hands-on, active-engagement lessons are just as important as they ever  

Corkboard Connections Blog Now on Teaching Resources

If you were a past follower my Corkboard Connections blog, you might not have known that I also had a website called Teaching Resources. The two were formerly on separate platforms, so I’m super excited that they’re now together  

Fostering a Growth Mindset with Brain Bucks

Teaching kids what it means to have a growth mindset is often easier than helping them replace their fixed mindset thoughts and behaviors with more empowering ones. For example, students who’ve learned that mistakes are an important part of the  

Awesome Facebook Group for Elementary Educators!

If you’re an upper elementary teacher who loves what you do, consider joining my private Facebook group, the Upper Elementary Teacher Connection. It’s a virtual meeting room where teachers of students in grades 2 through 6 can connect and collaborate  

Appointment Clock Buddies: Make an Appointment for Learning!

If you’re looking for a fun way to form partners for cooperative learning lessons, try the Appointment Clock Buddies strategy. The activity is a terrific icebreaker that also serves another useful purpose. Within just a few minutes, each